Venetian blind structure



Filed Sept. 5, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l E611. frag,

Aug. 19, 1952 B SVIRSKY 2,607,409

VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Aug. 19, 1952 B. svlRsKY 2,607,409

VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Filed Septz. 5, 1950 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 ENA/Err Jia/wry:

/NVEA/ TOR Patented Aug. 19, 1952 VENETIAN BLIND STRUCTURE Bennett Svirsky, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-fourth to Elmer L. Kuhn and one-fourth to Irving S. Roach, both of Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 5, 1950, Serial No. 183,161

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a horizontally adjustable Venetian blind structure.

Among the objects of the invention are: t provide an assembly of Venetian blind slats which are mounted in such a position that said assembly, when extended varying amounts from the collapsed condition, will maintain itself in the adjusted, extended condition without the use of any counterweighting structure; t0 provide a Venetian blind structure which can be installed over and removed from the window openings of a' building in a practically instantaneous manner; and to reduce the number of parts in a structure of the kind to which the invention pertains, thus correspondingly reducing cost of manufacture and also producing a structure less apt to get out of order.

A more specific object is to provide a blind structure Aoperable without the use of cords and/or pulleys, and which, therefore will be more easily operable and of a more durable character.

Another object is to provide, for a Venetian blind, .an improved casing structure, made of a minimum number of sheet metal parts and arranged to have in a superior, dust proof manner the slat carrying parts of the device.

Still another object, of a specific character, is to provide, for a series of blind slats adjustable to and from a collapsed condition and wherein the individual slats are rotationally adjustable in relation to their axes, an improved master slat at one end of the series, said master slat being usable t0 adjust the remaining slats both individually and collectively in the manner which has been stated and also carrying a combined handle and latching or locking element usable to maintain the series of slats in certain adjusted positions.,

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the drawingswherein is shown a reduced-to-practice embodiment of the invention now deemed preferable by me,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View showing the Venetian blind applied to a window casing with the blind in the closed position and the slats thereof rocked to exclude the outside View from within and the inside View from without.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that the blind is shown in the collapsed position with the slats rocked about their axes about ninety degrees. In this view the scale is diminished.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view similar to that shown in Fig. l, except that the master slat has been operated through an angle of about ninety degrees to open the slats.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged rear elevation illustrating the means lfor suspending the device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, upper left hand corner portion of the device shown in Fig. l, with portions broken away disclosing the jointed, operative connections between the slats.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, upper right hand corner portion of the device shown in Fig. 3, with certain front portions removed to further disclose the slat operating means.

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the.v mechanism shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the upper left hand corner portion of the device as shown in Fig. 2, a portion of the upper frame member being broken away t0 disclose the slat operating mechanism.

Fig. l0 .is a cross section'indicated by line III-I0 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 11 is'an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of one of the operative connections between adjacent slats. Y

Fig. 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view illustrating a detail of the slat suspending means.

In Fig. 1 the Venetian blind I3 is shown in the closed position with the slats rocked about their axes to a position wherein all view through lthe window is excluded. In Fig. 3 the plurality of slats have been operated through approximately a right angle' to permit vision between slats. In Fig. 2 the several slats have been shifted to the Window opening position. The manner in which these changes are made and the different parts involved will be set forth in a more particular sense in the disclosure following and concluding with a description of the operation of the device.

The Venetian blind I3 is shown in an assembled unit I4 in Fig. 4 which comprises an open frame with the back side positioned foremost; said unit being suspendingly applied to a window frame I5 surrounding a window I6 of the double hung type; by means of keyhole shaped slots I1 (four being shown) adapted4 to have headed nails or screws carried by said frame projected thereinto through the larger portion of the slot and the shank portions of such nails or screws permitted to rest in the contracted area of the slot when said frame gravitates to its normal position.

' rIhe unit |4 comprises like upstanding side Y frame metal shapes 20 and 2| and like upper and lower track frame metal shapes 22 and 23, said vertical shapes 29 and 2| being of channel shape in cross section and adapted to embrace the end portions of said upper and lower shapes 22 and 23 with the extreme end portions of such channel shapes terminating flush with the top and bottom faces of the horizontal members which comprise said upper and lower shapes as best shown in Fig. 10.

The vertical members 2B and 2| as well as the horizontal track frame members 22 and 23 will be preferably constructed in ten to twelve foot lengths and thencut to the desired length to accommodate theV particular size f window to be shuttered.

Although no details of the lower side of the means for operating the blind is shown, such structure is duplicative v'of the top part shown in Figs. to 10 and if it is necessary to know of just what such structure consists all that is necessary to do is to invert the sheet of drawings in which Figs. 5 to 10 are illustrated and the disclosure is apparent in said six views.

In Fig. 3 the `slatZi, to which the handle 2l' is applied. is the master 'slat since by operating this slat from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3 causes the remaining slats to re-position themselves in unison; and the nal slat in the series is indicated asr2,'the latter slat being stationary as to longitudinal movement but adjustable as to a rocking movement so that when the slats are moved laterally of the window from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown inFig. 2 slat 28 will act as a backing slat for the remaining slats. Said member 21 forms both a lockand a means for manual operation. It can be latched over the vertical member when the blind is extended to the position shown in Figs.V

The upper and .lower track framev members 22 and 23, as stated before, are duplicative of each other and consist of a formed shape which resembles a channel `shape/telescoped into a channel shape with aspace vbetween Webs, all constructed from one 'piece of sheet metal except the web of the telescoped channel is parted at the point where the free edges of the sheet meet. This construction is best seen in Fig. 10 wherein thenumeralsl and 3|v respectively designate vthe dual channels of which slotted channel 3| is the telescoped one of the pair and wherein the parting slot between adjacent edges of the formed shape is indicated by the numeral 32.

"At the left side of the unit M as viewed in Fig. 7,'there is an anchor plate 36. VSaid plate is welded or otherwise secured to the inner side of the structure in relation to the space occupied by Ythe slat assembly, and reinforces the adjacent structure. Said plate has in it a slot 31 which intersects the aforesaid elongated parting slot or opening 32, thus providing a means in which is loosely held the shank 38 of the bracket 39 carried by the anchored slat 28. Said shanky 38 has -its end portion secured to the operating link di?v inthe same manner that the remaining links are attached to the Shanks withrwhich they cooperate. These Shanks, other than the shank of said anchored slat, are movable, together with the slats which carry them, along said parting opening 32 to space the several slats in the manner desired. The upper links 46 lie on top of the plates at each side of the elongatedopening 32 and co-operate with the upwardly extending Shanks 38 to suspend the series of slats |3. The body portion of each of said slats lies in a plane which extends at substantially forty-live degrees to the Vertical plane occupied by the operating links of such slat. Said brackets 39 is T-shaped, the head 38a of the T being secured to each slat as best shown in Fig. 12 by rivets 28a or other equivalent means.

In the preferred construction of the framework of the device, well shown in Fig. 10, the structure which is telescoped within the outer member 2| consists of a one-piece sheet of rigid material, the member 3i) having at each side an inwardly directed side wall portion 30a with a doubled over upon itself portion 30D which is integral with the plate portion 3| to which the aforesaid plate 36 is secured.

In relation to the track formed by the channel members 3|, the aforesaid operating linksM) rest thereupon and near each side of said track are clips' 42e carried by adjacent links, which are connected to each other by pairs of hinged together wings 4|. Said clips are pivotally connected to the outer end portions of the links 4i), and have curled end portions 42 and 43 to receive hinge pins to attach them to the outer ends of each pair of hinge wings 4|, said wings being sufficiently long to maintain themselves in a kinked or angularly related conditionin all operative positions of the structure of which they form a part.

The axis of the pivotal connection between the operating links 4|) and the clips 40e is vertical. whereas the pivotal axis of the connection between the wings 4| and the curled end portions of the clips 40e extends horizontally,.and therefore at a right angle to said vertical axis. Owing to this fact, when the slats are manually rocked about their vertical axes a binding action results which causes all the slatsvto rock in unison.

In assembling in the open frame of the Venetian blind structure which has been described, the blind slats together with their operating links and associated mechanism, are fed into said frame fromv the master slat side thereof, and then the vertical frame member 29 is put into place. Thereupon the anchor plates 35 are secured in place to the upper and lower horizontal frame members 22 and 23. Y

In operating the device, when the master slat 26. has been turned through an angle of ninety degrees, from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3, the slats have all been repositioned from the closed position shown in Fig. 5 to the open positionshown in Fig. 6. When the slats are rocked to the position shown in Fig. 3 they may be left in that position so that light and Ventilating air are freely admitted between the parallel, spaced apart slats. If a less obstructed vision from withoutI or from within is desired, the slats, after being positioned in the relation shown `in Fig. 3, maybe shifted in unison to the position shown in Fig. 2 wherein the maximum area of the window opening is exposed.

When the master slat has been rocked to the position shown in Fig. 3 and/or Fig. 8, the hinge wings 4| of each pair lare in the obtusely angular relation to each other shown in Fig. 6, and then there is no resistance offered to the shifting of all said hinge wings, connections and slats, en masse, to the completely open window position and vice versa to the completely window closing position.

I claim:

l. In a Venetian blind structure, an open frame occupying a vertical plane and including a horizontal upper member which forms an upper trackway and a horizontal lower member which forms a lower trackway, each of said trackways having an elongated opening along its midwidth, a series of blind forming slats wherein the individual slats of the series extend vertically, a shank extending vertically from the midwidth portion of each end of each of said slats, one of the shanks of each slat projecting upwardly through and being slidable along the elongated opening of the aforesaid upper trackway and the other of said shanks projecting downwardly through and being slidable along the elongated opening of the aforesaid lower trackway, a horizontal upper operating link xed in its midlength portion to each of said upwardly extending shanks superjacent to and resting upon the trackway through which it proiects, a horizontal lower operating link xed in its midlength portion to each of said downl wardly extending shanks subjacent to the lower trackway through which it extends, an upper clip overlying and swiveled to each end portion of each of said upper operating links, a lower clip underlying and swiveled to each end portion of each of said lower operating links, and pairs of swingably connected hinge wings connecting through the medium of said swiveled clips the end portions of adjacent links along both sides of said upper series of operating links and along both sides of said lower series of operating links.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 and the wings of each aforesaid pair of wings being suciently long to maintain themselves in an angularly related condition in all operative positions of the structure.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 and the slat Y at one end of said series being an anchored slat which is rockable about its axis and the slat at the opposite end of said series being a master slat which is rockable about its vaxis and is bodily movable toward and from said anchored slat, and manually grippable handle means carried by said master slat to enable the operator both to pivotally adjust the slats of the series and to collapse to the desired extent the whole series of slats.

4. The subject matter of claim 1 and the slat at one end of said series being an anchored slat which is rockable about its axis and the slat at the opposite end of said series being 'a master slat which is rockable about its axis and is bodily movable toward and from said anchored slat, and

manually grippable handle means carried by said y master slat to enable the operator both to pivotally adjust the slats of the series and to collapse to the desired extent the whole series of slats, said handle means being constructed and arranged to latch onto one side portion of said open frame to maintain the assembly of slats in.

portion of each end of each of said slats, one of the Shanks of each slat projecting upwardly through and being slidable along said elongated opening of said upper trackway and the other of said shanks projecting downwardly through and being slidable along said elongated opening of said lower trackway, a horizontal operating link fixed to the outer end of each of the Shanks of each of said slats, the two operating links of each slat occupying the same vertical plane, which plane is in a skewed relation to the shank carrying part of the slat, said operating links at all times extending across said elongated openings, an additional upper linkage operatively connecting the end portions of said upper operating links at both sides of said upper elongated opening, and an additional lower linkage operatively connecting the end portions of said lower links at both sides of said lower elongated opening; so that both rocking and shifting movements of a slat at one end of the series produce like movements of the intervening slats of the series.

6. The subject matter of claim 5 and the vertical plane in which the upper and lower operating links of each slat lie being at substantially an angle of forty-live degrees to the plane occupied by the body portion of the slat.

7. In a Venetian blind structure; an open frame operatively supporting a series of slats, said frame including a substantially horizontal upper and substantially horizontal lower trackway, each of said trackways having an elongated opening extending along its mid-width, a vertical shank carried by each end portion of each of said slats, one of said shanks of each slat pro'- jecting upwardly through said upper elongated opening and the other shank of that slat projecting downwardly through said lower elongated opening, a horizontal operating link secured between its ends to the outer end of each of said Shanks, each of said links at all times extending across the one of said elongated openings to which it is nearest, a clip contacting latwise with and pivotally connected to each end portion of each of said operating links, and hinge like members each consisting of two hinged together wings which are at all times more or less angularly related to each other, said wings all being swingable in a vertical plane, adjacent end portions of said clips at each side of said upper elongated opening being pivotally connected to one of said hinge like members which spans the space between them.

3. The subject matter of claim 7 and all the clips carried by the lower operating links being likewise connected by hinge like members corresponding to those first recited. f

. BENNETT SVIRSKY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,668,564 Jenkins May 8, 1928 2,030,234 Villalobos Feb. 11, 1936 2,131,099 Edwards Sept. 27, 1938 2,158,454 Zllbra. May 16, 1939 2,422,407 Green June 17, 1947 

